Potomac
Potomac (Tau Ceti 3) is a Garden World in the American Corridor site of the second largest US colony as well as the United Commonwealth colony of Trevithick Planetary Data Potomac is a water world. Oceans cover 87% of the planets surface whilst more than two thirds of the dry land is grouped into a single super continent. The interior of this landmass is a dry, rather barren wilderness but towards the coast there is more than sufficient moisture to sustain life, including the 210 million colonists from the USA and the United Commonwealth. Several smaller islands are also inhabited. Carter City Carter City is the colonial capital of Potomac colony and is rightfully considered one of the most attractive urban areas in the known worlds. Built along the shore of a shallow tropical lagoon, Carter City is mostly constructed of the local limestone covered with a layer of yellow or white plaster which contrasts sharply with the bright red clay tiles used for roofing. Much of the city’s buildings are designed using the style of architecture known as the “Mission Revival” style with low-pitched roofs and arches. The tallest building in Carter City is just fifteen stories high, and few others reach higher than ten stories. Flora and Fauna Without a doubt the most important native crop on Potomac is the wheat-tree, also called the Bakers Tree. Since its domestication the wheat-tree has become the staple crop for the entire colony. From Potomac it has been introduced on to not only all of the worlds of the American Corridor, but also Atlas, Wellington, the Russian colony world of Asgard, and even Earth. Wheat-trees them selves are tall deciduous trees, capable of growing up to 20m in height. Every year a mature Wheat-tree produces between 30 and 120 fruiting bodies which can weigh as much as eight and a half kilograms, these fruits form on both the larger, lower branches and from the main trunk itself, the location of the fruit makes collection fairly easy. Even on a fully mature tree the bulk of the fruit will be no more than 3.5-5m above the ground. Within each fruit are thousands of small seeds held in a sticky flesh, typically a fruit will be 70-73% seeds by weight. The seeds, once extracted, can be dried out and ground into a flour. This flour is a good source of both carbohydrates and protein as well as been high in fibre and rich in folate, selenium, and zinc. The skin and flesh of the fruit have a bitter, smoky taste and this is normally used as feed for pigs or goats although there are some recipes for soups which use them. Wheat-trees are tolerant of many types of soil although they grow best if initially planted in free draining soils rich in organic matter, they are also fairly drought tolerant but a lack of water in the spring will reduce the size and number of fruits produced. Wheat-trees have a number of advantages over traditional cereal crops - firstly they are less manpower intensive, there is no need to plough and sow every year, once established an orchard of trees requires only minimal weed control, and secondly because the individual fruits on a tree ripen over a period of two or more weeks harvesting is less urgent that with a conventional field. An orchard also requires no heavy machinery, only tall ladders, a strong blade, and wagons to carry the harvested fruits. The main disadvantage of wheat-trees is that they take time to mature, a tree only produces fruit after five years of growing, slightly quicker if grown from a cutting. Another disadvantage is that the resulting flour is extremely rich in gluten making it unsuitable for people with gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Processing the fruit, extracting and drying the seed, is also somewhat more complex than conventional ceral production. The yield of a wheat-tree orchard is easily comparable to cereals, usually between 5.2 and 7.5 tons of seeds per hectare plus the associated flesh and skins. The Sea of Tears and Desolation Point Just south of the equator on the main continent, close to the heart of the central desert, is the Sea of Tears - a gigantic salt pan covering over eight thousand square kilometres and on average 120m below local sea level. The Sea of Tears experiences almost no rainfall and the average daytime temperature in the summer can exceed 50° C, night time temperatures however can drop to minus 7° C, humidity rarely exceeds 10%. This climate makes the Sea of Tears one of the most inhospitable places ever recorded on a Garden planet. It was for this reason that the United States government chose to locate it’s highest security prison within the confines of the Sea. One of the few features on the Sea is Desolation Point, a rocky outcrop three kilometres long and around 65m tall. US Army Corps of Engineers have practically hollowed out the Point to create an environmentally comfortable environment for the staff of the prison. The outcrop it self is used to position a number of radar stations which constantly scan the skies for approaching aerospace craft. Buried beneath the salt flats are over two dozen surface to air missile batteries with ranges reaching from low altitude all the way up to low orbit. Automated flak towers, each topped with quad 50-mm, cannon ring the whole complex. These cannons can depress low enough to strike at targets on the ground. The prison itself is a massive complex covering fifteen hectares in total. Twenty eight prison blocks are each home to one hundred and fifty prisoners who spend all but two hours a day in their cells, been allowed out for one hour in the early morning and one hour after sunset. The entire complex is surrounded by a series of fences between which are buried thousands of mines. The main deterrent to escape however is the incredibly hostile environment of the Sea of Tears. Of the 4’117 prisoners currently incarcerated at Desolation Point nearly a third (1’229) are technically citizens of the Celestial Empire - members of the military and officers of the Occupation Administration of Shangri-La who are serving long term (40 years to life) for crimes against humanity or war crimes relating to the occupation. Another 147 prisoners are individual who had collaborated with the occupying forces and who are all serving life sentences without parole. The remaining prisoners are a mix of violent criminals, pirates, and those judged to be a menace to society. Population Breakdown Potomac is home to two colonies. The US colony of New Seattle has a population of just over 18.2 million people whilst the Commonwealth colony of Trevithick has 2.7 million people. Category:Colony Worlds Category:Garden Worlds Category:USA Colonies